JAMES HUTTON: THE FOUNDER OF MODERN GEOLOGY

Thoroughly revised and expanded from the 2012 edition, this book pays tribute to one of the world's first environmentalists, a man ahead of his time. James Hutton (1726-1797) developed a grand theory of the Earth in which he tried to make sense of a lifetime of observation and deduction about the way in which our planet functions. For example, he connected temperature with latitude. His measurements, with rudimentary thermometers, of temperature changes between the base and summit of Arthur's Seat, were remarkably accurate and he studied climate data from other parts of the world.